UNAVEM II created to verify peaceful transition.

On 31 May in Lisbon, a historic agreement for the cessation of hostilities and peaceful transition in Angola was signed between the Angolan Government and the National Union for the Total independence of Angola (UNITA).

The agreement was signed by Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and UNITA President Jonas Savimbi. Portuguese Prime Minister Anibal Cavaco Silva, mediator of the peace talks between the parties, presided over the ceremony which was also attended by the two observers of the peace talks, Soviet Foreign Minister Aleksandr Bessmertnykh and United States Secretary of State James A. Baker III.

Also witnessing the ceremony were Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

"It is a cause of great satisfaction that the statesmanship demonstrated by all those involved in this process has finally cleared the way for an end to a cruel war which for too long has ravaged Angola' the Secretary-General declared three days later at an OAU summit in Abuja, Nigeria.

The agreement-called the Peace Accords for Angola ("Acordos de Paz para Angola")-called for a de facto cease-fire from 15 May 1991 and the holding of elections to be completed by 30 November 1992.

On 30 May, the Security Council in New York established a new mandate for the UN Angola Verification Mission, created in 1988 to oversee withdrawal of Cuban troops from that nation. UNAVEM II-as the new operation is to be called-will carry out new verification tasks arising from the Angola Peace Accords until general elections in that country are completed.

Just before the signing of the agreement, the Secretary-General discussed with the Angolan President details of the UN role in implementing the Accords and plans for emergency assistance and economic reconstruction. The UN role was also discussed with the Presidents of UNITA and OAU.

The Secretary-General told the press that the parties had taken the political decision to fulfil the agreement since without an atmosphere of confidence, good faith and political will", the agreement would not be relevant.

He also congratulated the Portuguese Government for its great diplomatic success in bringing about the "historic agreement", which was important not only for Africa, but for the entire world community.

The Accords, he said, would "contribute to peace and development in southern Africa" and provide "an example for other parts of Africa in demonstrating the need to find negotiated solutions to political problems".

At the OAU meeting on 3 June, Mr. Perez de Cuellar said the signatories ad committed themselves to respecting the fundamental principles for the establishment of a lasting peace in Angola, including respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, creation of a multiparty democratic system, holding of free, fair and internationally supervised elections, and formation of a new national army.

He appealed to the Angolan parties and to all countries in and even outside the region to work for those objectives.

UNAVEM II

By unanimously adopting resolution 696 (1991) on 30 May, the Council called for the mandate of UNAVEM II to be brought in line with the Accords. The Council approved the Secretary-General's report on UNAVEM (S/22627 and Add.1), asking him to report on further developments.

The Secretary-General stated, among other things, that he expected to report soon to the Council that UNAVEM had successfully fulfilled its mandate as set out in Council resolution 626 (1988), namely to verify the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola. He recommended that the Council act to enlarge and prolong the mandate of UNAVEM so it could carry out the new verification tasks arising from the Peace Accords.

The new mandate would be extended until general elections were held in Angola between September and November 1992. Angola had requested the participation of UNAVEM, the SecretaryGeneral said.

Mission tasks included the verification of arrangements agreed by the parties-the Angolan Government and UNITA-FOR monitoring both the cease-fire and the Angolan police during the cease-fire period.

The Mission would continue to verify the total withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola until its scheduled completion on 1 July 1991.

UNAVEM II would consist of 350 military observers, a group of up to 90 police observers, an air unit consisting of three fixed-wing aircraft and 12 utility helicopters, a 14-member medical unit and a civilian support staff of approximately 80 persons drawn from the UN Secretariat, together with a similar number of locally recruited staff.

On 29 May, the SecretaryGeneral stated that logistical support for UNAVEM must include a reliable communications system and adequate air and ground transportation facilities.

Estimated costs for the Mission for the 18-month period June 1991 to November 1992), including onetime major procurements of portable shelters, vehicles and communications equipment, were $132.3 million.

The Secretary-General would recommend that the General Assembly deem that costs be borne by Member States.

On 4 June, the Secretary-General reported (S/22672) that advance parties of UNAVEM II had been deployed on 2 June. On 6 June, the Secretary-General reported (S/22678) that UNAVEM had carried out, fully and effectively, the mandate entrusted to it by the Council in resolution 626 to oversee the withdrawal of Cuban troops. That withdrawal was completed five weeks ahead of schedule, enabling UNAVEM to concentrate all its resources on the new tasks assigned to it.

On 18 June, the Security Council agreed with the Secretary-General's proposal that UNAVEM II's military observer element be composed of contingents from Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Congo, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, GuineaBissau, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Yugoslavia and Zimbabwe.